St. Marys Guildhall
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St. Marys Guildhall
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Accessibility Statement

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St Mary’s Guildhall is a medieval building in the centre of Coventry. We are surrounded by cobbled pathways and are easy to access from the city centre, with close multi storey car parks, such as Salt Lane Car Park and good public transport links. St Mary’s recently underwent a significant restoration, in which the accessibility of the building was improved with the introduction of lifts, levelled floors and raised platforms, however it is an old building and there are still areas that do not have full step free access. These rooms are part of a 360 degree photo tour available on the tablets available at reception during your visit. There are also uneven floors in rooms such as the Mistrels Gallery or the Ante Room and low ceilings – please mind your head!

There is limited Blue Badge holder parking available at the side of the building on St Mary Street. Parking charges may apply. There are bollards outside the Guildhall, bloocking driving through Bayley Lane. You can still drive up Bayley Lane, and turn off at St Mary’s Street, at the corner of the Guildhall. 

There is a pair each of adult and child sized ear defenders available at reception. Please feel free to ask if you would like to use them. You can also send an email to niamh.carton@noordinaryhospitality.com to reserve them in advance. They are wiped down with a disinfectant wipe between each use. 

We also have available some explorer bags and sensory bags from reception to help you on your visit. Please just ask for them, or email niamh.carton@noordinaryhospitality.com to reserve them in advance.  

We have a quiet space in the Guildhall, if you would like to visit this for some peace and quiet, please let a member of staff know, or make your way to the Drapers Room, there are directions from there. 

We have a hearing loop system for people with T- coil equipped ear loops. We have a small reerence book of Braille interpretation at reception. More information is available at the reception desk. 

The lift platform dimensions are 110cmx146cm, with a door width of about 90cm with a maximum capacity of 400kg or 5 people at a time.

A decription of each room is also available in braille and is available from our reception team. 

Entrance to Courtyard from Bayley Lane 

  • Entrance through large wooden doors into a courtyard with level flagstones
  • There will be an A-Frame board with motion sensitive sound that plays a recording of a voice welcoming you into the courtyard. This is quite loud as you walk through the entrance way. 
  • The first door on your left is the entrance to the Mercer’s Room. You will be going in here if you are here for an education visit or activity hosted in the Mercer’s room. There is a ramp into the room from the external door. This is a narrow room with long benches. 
  • The second door on your left is the main reception. This is a room with level flagstone floor. 
  • The door on the opposite wall to the entrance is the step free entrance to the medieval kitchen. Please go to the reception first and the member of staff will bring you to the lift into the Muniment Room 
  • The door on the right is the entrance to Tales of Tea, the under-croft café. There are several steps down into the room, as well as a small lift, should you need step free access.

Reception 

  • The reception desk is by the wall to the left. This has two levels to its height. A member of staff will be there to take you through buying a ticket. 
  • The shop shelves are by the wall, next to the entrance. If you would like to buy anything, please speak to a member of staff. 
  • Once you have bought your ticket you will be directed into the Muniment Room. There are two stone steps down into the room and a low ceiling in the doorway. If you need step free access, you will be going out of the entrance again and in through the kitchen door – a member of staff will direct you if you have any trouble.
  • Beside reception there are double doors that lead to the toilets. There are Mens’ Womens’ and accessible toilets as well as a baby changing room. 

Digital tour

  • Every room is on the digital tour, with a 360-degree panorama. 
  • These include scannable elements with QR codes (the elephants in the rooms) 
  • Rooms that are not easily accessible or have no step free access are scanned on the digital tour and you will be able to interact with interpretation through this and zoom into the features to see them clearly

Muniment Room

  • If accessing through the step free route, a member of staff will bring you down into the Muniment Room on the step lift. 
  • A member of staff will offer you a tablet to take, should you wish to follow the digital tour. 
  • The interpretation boards tell the timeline of the guildhall. 
  • There is a welcome video playing on a loop. It is captioned and lasts for about 3 minutes. This room might be a little loud, the ceiling creates echoes. 
  • There are seats in the Muniment Room. 
  • There is a pedestal with a flip book. This information is in large print as well. 

The Kitchen

  • There are 3 steps up into the kitchen – this is also the lift that allows for step free access
  • The floor is made up of level flagstones
  • There are two long tables with interpretive materials on one and a pedestal with a flip book with large print text
  • There is a soundscape of a Jacobean kitchen which runs in the background. There is also an aerosol scent. 
  • You exit through the same entrance you came into for stepped access. For step free access you use the lift on the left – a member of staff will help you. 

There are 15 stairs up the main staircase, these are wooden with a handrail. 

There is ramp access to the Great Hall. 

Great Hall

  • Ramp access into the hall 
  • A flat and even floor
  • There are three steps up to the Tapestry dais at the end of the hall. The tapestry lights are motion sensitive and light up as you come near. 
  • There is a gilded frame for a photo opportunity with props you can use. 
  • The interpretation flip books also have a large print version
  • There is an activity with small light paddles with double sided text 
  • There are seats by the tapestry 

There are four doors on the left-hand side, as you come into the Great Hall. 

  • The first leads to a stone spiral staircase
  • The second has ramp access to the Old Council Chamber
    • There is narrow space around the table 
    • The door in the corner leads to the Treasury, this has a ridge of several inches on the threshold and is a narrow doorway
    • There is a tiled medieval floor in the treasury and is a very small room
  • The third, double door, is closed and leads to the back of house
  • The final one has two steps into the Prince’s Chamber
    • The interpretation is to the right-hand side
    • The space around the table is very narrow

The Spiral Staircase 

  • There are 18 steps on this staircase with no step free access up to the Minstrels Gallery
  • All the rooms upstairs are featured on the digital tour so you can see all of it and read the interpretation 
  • The Minstrel’s Gallery is made of an old, slightly uneven wooden plank

The Armoury 

  • The interpretation is by the door, there is also a large print version on the same plinth
  • There is a motion sensitive video which tells the story of the Guildhall in the Civil War
  • There are dress up costumes for children 
  • The sounds from the kitchen can be heard up here

Tower Room 

  • The door to the tower room is on the right-hand side of the back wall – the door is very low
  • There is an exposed brick floor with level access 

The Bridge Link 

  • This door is on the left-hand wall and leads to a viewing platform that shows the medieval kitchen. 
  • You can scan the kitchen with your tablet from here
  • There are seven steps down to the viewing platform 

The Ante Room 

  • This on the left-hand side of the Minstrels Gallery (Turn right if you are exiting the Viewing Platform
  • This is a difficult corner for access. To access the ante room, you must go down four steps of the spiral staircase, then up two stone steps. These steps are not even sizes or shapes. 
  • The floor of the Anteroom is on a slope 
  • There are seats in here
  • There are two support bars – mind your head! 

Return to the Great Hall 

To get into the Drapers Room you go up the three steps on the Dais, then six steps on the right-hand side. These are all even and regular. The floor in the Drapers Room is even.

Tales of Tea

Tales of Tea is our on-site cafe. It is across the courtyard from reception, on the right hand side. There is a flight of stairs down to the cafe, but there is also a lift down. The brunch and lunch menu is available here. Please note that it requires pre-booking if you would like an Afternoon Tea. Please feel free to contact us or Tales of Tea if there are any specific requirements you have. 

 

You can also view our accessibility video if you click here.

What our visitors say

“St Mary’s well deserves its nomination for the inclusive and accessible West Midlands Tourism Award…”

…it’s one of the most accessible heritage/listed buildings I’ve been to..
Daniel Kay

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St Mary’s Guildhall and the Tales of Tea restaurant occasionally close for private events. Please follow the 'LEARN MORE' tab to check our closure information webpage for upcoming closure dates.
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